New hires at Catholic University

John L. Allen Jr.
|
Sep. 15, 2006
All Things Catholic

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Msgr. Kevin Irwin of the School of Theology and Religious Studies at the Catholic University of America is an impressive theologian in his own right; his 2005 book Models of the Eucharist (Paulist Press) was widely hailed for the way he plumbed the church's liturgical texts to illustrate key insights about the sacrament the church regards as the "source and summit" of its life.

Irwin is also proving to be a capable administrator. Under his leadership, Catholic University recently announced three new hires in his school of scholars with international reputations: Redemptorist Fr. Brian Johnstone, formerly of Rome's Alphonsian Academy; Fr. Paul McPartlan of the University of London, a leading expert in ecumenism and a member of the International Theological Commission, the main advisory body to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; and Fr. John Paul Heil of the Kenrick-Glennon Seminary's School of Theology in St. Louis, who writes on New Testament studies.

All three are considered broadly centrist in their theological views, and are prized across borders of geography, discipline and perspective for the quality of their scholarship. Johnstone will be missed in Rome, where he was widely regarded by the press as a go-to source on moral questions, but he will be a valuable addition to Catholic conversation in the United States.

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